Mykolayiv,Russian Nikolayev, also spelled Nikolaev, or Nikolajev, cityand administrative centre of Mykolayiv oblast (province), southern Ukraine. The city lies along the estuary of the Southern (Pivdennyy) Buh River, about 40 miles (65 km) from the Black Sea. It was founded in 1788 as a naval base after the Russian annexation of the Black Sea coast, near the site of the ancient Greek Olbia. In 1862 a commercial harbour was opened, and in 1873 a railway was built to the port. It is now one of the most important Ukrainian Black Sea ports, serving the Kryvyy Rih area and extensive steppe grain lands. Mykolayiv is one of the largest shipbuilding centres of Ukraine. The city also has a wide range of other engineering and consumer-goods industries. An alumina-processing plant utilizing imported bauxite was built in the 1970s in the suburb of Zhovtneve. Mykolayiv is a modern city in appearance, laid out on a gridiron pattern of broad streets. The city has shipbuilding and teacher-training institutes. Pop. (1993 2001) 514,136; (2005 est.) 519509,000011.